Sealed package



Patented Sept. 4, 1934 Unire srA'res PATENT OFFICE i A y 1,972,284; l i i SEALED PACKAGE Louis A. Von rliill, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Anchor Cap &. Closure Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York l K Appena-ien @any 1a, 1930, "serial Ne. 468,818

11 Claims. (o1. 215-43) The present invention relates to closure caps and more particularly to a screw cap having means adapted to minimize the breakage of glass containers in the application thereof.

5 One of the difficulties encountered in the use of screw caps, particularly with lug caps, is thatr the sealing strains upon the threads of the containers exceed the strength or" the threads and cause the container to break. This is due to the fact that the forces acting upon the thread. are substantially in a vertical upwardly direction. In other words,'the upward pressure of the lugs or threads o1" the cap against the threads on the container' for holding the cap on'the container is directed against the outwardly extending portions of the threads which in turn is transmitted as a shearing or bending moment on the sidewall of the container.

It is customary to apply thev caps to containers by mechanical means,'which are capable of sealing the containers very rapidlyfand moresecurely than by hand. Both the caps and containers vary in dimensions froma true standard. The

present lug caps are not capable of yielding sufficiently to compensate for the necessary variations in all cases and imperfect seals and brokeny containers result. f This is particularly true when an undersize cap is applied to anoversize container, -or to a container having lugs or threads too low on the neck thereof. -To avoid this, the thickness and strength of the lugs or threads on the containers have been increased; however, the shearing moment caused by the unbalanced forces breaks the `container at times, the glass 35 falling into the product. Such contingencies are y ride under the threads and'fail to seal the package. f

Considerable'diiiiculty is also encountered due 15 to the fact thatl the liners fall out of the caps in shipment. Attempts have been -made to' remedy this by increasing their size, but this causes the liners to buckle and impair the seal. Many of the caps do not center properly because of varia- 5o tions in size, which increases the tendencyfor the lugs on the caps toride over the threads on the container'and causes an ineiicientv seal.

lThe presentv invention overcomes these diiiief culties by providing a cape-construction which minimizes the sealing strains upon the threads and side wall of a container, properly centers the cap, permits the use of Va larger liner, and also' permits a greater range of variation from the standard size of container withoutY impairing the seal or damaging the container. An object of the invention is to minimize the sealing strains upon the threads and side `Wall of a container; and to provide effective means to overcome these strains.

Another object of the invention is to minimize the breakage oi thel containers and the threads thereon occasioned byv excessive strains'applied thereto. Another object ofthe invention is toreduce the cost oi sealed packages by providing a capV construction which can be readily applied With-z out Abreaking the containers or parts thereof.

Another object of the invention is to prevent liners from falling out of the caps, and to prevent their buckling during vthe sealingl operation.

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide af cap which can beA sealed to a container and which will compensate for variations in sizes without impairing the effectiveness of the seal.

Another object of the invention isfto provide a cap adapted to be sealed more securely ontol containers to .prevent the caps from being released accidentally.

Another object of the invention is to centerthe cap with respect to the containerto provide an Yeiiicient sealand tol increasethe permissiblev tolerance in the variationof the'size of both container and cap.

Another objectof the Vinvention is to provide af cap'adaptedV to form a double seal upon a conthe tainerA to minimize defective seals. y A furtherfobject of the "invention is to provide a cap having a resilient inclined annular portion in the cover portion thereof adaptedV tocounterbalance the sealing -forces of the cap upon thethreads oiy a container. v j

Other and further objects of the invention will he clear from an understandingofthe description` of the preferred'embodiment, or will beindicatedf inthe appended claims, and `various' gad'fantagesv notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in4 the art upon employment practice.

`A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes ofillustration and'd-i scription and is shown in the accompanying draw@l ing,-wherein Y k' Fig. 1 is a perspectiveAviewVK showing the closure applied to a container; Y l j Fig. 2 is a side elevational view. partly in lsec-4 of the' invention in closure upon a container;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating another application of the invention;

.andi .A i

" Fig. 5 vis a fragmentary sectional View illustrating the closure applied to a particular design of tainerina direction indicated substantially byl container. i v

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a a bead or wire edge a. A seriesof lugs 5, shown herein as four in number, are formed from the Wire edge and extend inwardly toiengage acorresponding series of threads or yribs 7, preferably of the interrupted type, provided about the-upperv side wall 9 of the container. The skirt portion of the cap is knurled or corrugated, as' shown at 10, to facilitate applicationI and removal thereof, and to enhance the appearance of the cap.

v` I'he cover portion 1 of the cap comprises an annular portion 11, adapted to extend over the rim 12 of the container, and a central depressed portion 14. The central portion 14:` and theA rim portion 1l are Vjoined by an annular inclined .or bevel-portion.= 'Ifhe purpose of the inclined band 15 will be described moreifully hereinafter.V A suitable cardboard liner or gasket `16, usually a circular discv member,` is disposed in the cover portion ofthe capito provide an eiective seal.

Heretofore, in the types of caps kmanufaetured for screw containers, the gasketvor liner would `contactonly with the topk edge or rim of the container; "since imperfections frequently occur at` this portion of the container, the cap and gasket would failfrequently to sealthe container properly. Attempts were made to correctjthis by fore-.-

ing the cap more tightly upon the container. The result was that the shearing forces exerted upon the lugs of the cap would break the threads of the .container or would distort theilugs so that they wouldjride overthe thread.'VA These diniculties are overcome in the present invention bythe bevel portion `.15H-which holdsthe gasket against the inneredge ofl the mouth vof theV container and4 upon the rim thereof, and also affords a betterseal with the same-sealing eiiort, due to the combined side and rim seal.

' In the breakage. of containers heretofore during fthesealing operation, itl liasbeen noted4 that the containers consistently break, not always by shearing ofthe threadbu t more'often by a continuous break across the side wallk of the container, as indicated byntheudot Yand dash line 13,Yin-.,Fig. 43.` The break begins/substantially at the-.bottom of the thread and 'proceeds in a zigzag direction upwardlyand inwardly to a pointv substantially below the inner side cf the rim of the container. The annular inclined sealing zone 15 the preferred embodiment of the capV presses outwardlyuponthe lrim of the conthe arrowLA which counteracts'the forceapplied bythe lug'ofthe capin the generaldirection in- .f

dicated-bythe arrow B.v The lpressure exerted upon the resilient annular inclined portion 15 substantially neutralizes the force created b y the serves =the=additiona1 purpose of` preventing the cap from becoming accidentally loosened irrlian-gv Vdling or otherwise.` Y

It is customary to stamp the liners 16 from a continuous strip and insert them in the caps. A small percentage of the liners becomes dislodged, which, of course, isobjectionable. Attempts have been made to enlarge the liners, but the` large liners buckled, thereby impairing the sealing qualities of the cap.` In the preferred embodiment, illustrated herein,y the liners are preferably larger than the usual size so that when inserted in the caps, their outer periphery 'ene gages the inner wall of the skirt of thel cap. closure cap having a cover portion 1 and a depending skirt 2, with its lower edge rolled to form When the vcaps are applied to the containers, the depressed center 14 bends the liner, which reduces its external dimension, pulling its outer periphery away from the skirt of the cap, so that when sealed there is asmall clearance 21 between its `edge and the skirt of the cap. In this way, the vliner can be madelarge enough to stay withinV the capwithout occasioning buckling during the present cap Vcenters it with respect to the container and prevents lateral shifting of the cap and. the resultingdisadvantages.

tends to Ycontract the Aloi-,ver:edge of the skirt,

thereby preventing thelug'sfrom spreading and minimizing theitendency forthem1to ride over the threads of the container. l i y A very secure seal is provided because the cap is properly centered and the skirt is pulled downward evenly in Athe application thereof; inner part ofthe cap extends downwardly over the inneredge of the rim of the container, thereby producing, .in effect, a secure double seal. The inclined portion 15 forms a seal on the inner side of the rim and the lugs pull the skirt of the cap downwardlyto Yform a secure seal between the top `of the im of the container andthe flat portion ofthe Ycover of the cap.

In Fig. V2, acap in accordance with thepresent invention, `is shown applied to a Yveryrsmall bottle such as used for prescriptions and the like. The, construction of the cap vis substantiallythesame `as shown 4in Fig. 1 except that only two'lugsare providedjn the cap.y The greatestdifliculty in-,connection with breakage is encountered with these smaller; caps with two holding lugs. Thelrsame .principles apply irrespective of the number of lugs, as'describedabove,

In addition, 'the upwardV pressure, on the inclined surface 15` The to center. the cap, minimize the unbalanced forces and eliminatev breakage.

`The constructionshown in Fig. 4 is slightly different and illustratesthe use of an annular groove 19 formed in 'the cover part of the cap adjacent the .inner side :Wall-r of the, container. The outer incline .of the groove presses outwardly against the rim A of the container ksomewhat similarto the pressure applied' by the bevelpo rtion15 in the construction, yshown in Figs. 1 to 3-. The double seal isforrned, andtheforces-arebalanced in the same manner ,as described hereinbefore; Certain 1 packerslmaypbjet to thedepression of the een# ter of the cap purelybecause of personaldistaste. Such packers'may be pleased-by the construction shownv in Fig. r

While` the .cap described ,hereinis applicable to standard containers, as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, it is shown applied to a particular design of container in Fig. 5. Preferably, the container is provided with a bevelled inner edge 18 adapted to cooperate with the inclined annular surface 15 oi the cap. The angular inclination of the bevelled surface 18 is preferably of an angle of about 10 and substantially the same as the angular inclina-- tion of the annular inclined surface 15 of the cap; the inclination of these parts preferably being the same as the angular inclination of the top surface 19 of the cap lug and of the bottom surface 2O of the container thread. The thickness of the wall of the container may be determined accorde ingly. In this construction, the portion of the container between the dotted lines 21 is under direct compression and any shearingaction lis eliminated or minimized. By so balancing the compression forces, breakage of the containers is prevented. j

Preferably, the caps and disc liners illustrated herein are manufactured and assembled and shipped in assembled state to packers. The caps are applied to the containers either by hand or machinery, but generally by machinery in the larger packing plants. The operations may be carried out rapidly and neither the seal nor the container will be affected materially by excessive pressure which may be applied inthe sealing operation.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a very effective cap which can be manufactured at the sameor less cost than caps manufactured heretofore. Brealzage of the containers in the application of the cap is minimized by countercalancing the moment or force created by the lug or the cap pressing against the thread of the container. The invention also provides a double seal which is extremely effective. The inclined annular portion l5, in addition to providing a double seal, centralizes the crap with respect to the container, prevents buckling of the liner during the sealing operation, and counterbalances the force exerted by the lug or" the cap, thereby preventing breakage. n addition, it permits a secure seal throughout a substantial range of vertical movement of the cap, causing the cap to seal with a minimum effort and preventing the from damaging the container when excessive effort is applied inthe sealing operation. It will of course be understood that the closure caps described herein may be constructed of any desirable material and that the invention is not limited to caps made of metal. r"he cap is rugged in construction and fully capable of withstanding the rough usage to which it may be subjected.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and without sacricing its advantages, it

is to be understood that all matter herein. is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I cla-im: l. A screw closure cap comprising a cover portion and a depending skirt having a bead at the lower edge or said skirt, lugs in said bead for engaging suitable spaced projections on a container,

and an annular inclined band in said cover portion adapted to engage the inner side of the rim of the container and cooperate with said lugs to minimize unbalanced sealing strains upon theV projections of the container when the cap is applied to the container.

2. A sealed package comprising a container having a plurality of spaced threads thereon, the lower surface thereof being angularly disposed to the side wall of said container, an inclined vzone at the inner mouth portion of said container, and a cover cap comprising a skirthaving thread engaging `means therein and a cover portion, an annular resilient inclined zone in said cover portion adapted to abut said zone at the inner mouth oi the container,r said lower thread portions and said inclined zones on said cap and container being substantially parallel to each other, thus causing the sealing forces between said cap and con tainer to be resolved into a series of compressive forces perpendicular to said parallel members whereby verticall shearing forces against' the thread and the container are eliminated and breakage thereof is prevented.

3. A sealed package comprising a container provided With interrupted threads extending circumerentially about the periphery of the container below the mouth thereof and substantially in the same horizontal plane, and a closurek cap having atop portion and a depending skirt, a resilient annular bevelled portion in the top portion of the cap adapted to engage the inner periphery of the mouth of the container, a rolled bead at the lower edge of the. skirt of the cap, and lugs formed in the bead adapted to cooperate with the bevelled portion to hold the cap resiliently upon the container to minimize the unbalanced sealing forces exerted on the threads of the container.

4. A sealed package comprising a container provided with a plurality of threads adjacent to the mouth thereof spaced endwise with respect to each otherand av bevelled surface at the innerv periphery of the mouth of the container,V and a sheet metal closure cap having a top portion and Va depending skirt, a resilient annular portion in the top of the cap adapted to engage the bevelled portion at the mouth of the containerga plurality f of lugs formed in the lower edge of the skirt of.

the cap adapted to engage the threads of the container and to hold the cap resiliently upon the container, said cap being movable in an axial direction with respect to said container independently of the thread engaging lugs. k

5. A sealed package comprisingY a container provided with a plurality of projections extending about the container adjacent to the mouth thereof, said projections being in substantially the same plan vand being spaced endwise with respect to each other, and an inclined annular bevelled zone at the inner periphery of the mouth of the container, and Ya sheet metal closure cap having a top portion and a depending skirt with a beaded lower edge, a resilient annular bevelled portion in the top portion of the cap adapted to engageand abut the inclined bevelled zone of the container, and lugs formed from the lower'beaded edge of the cap adapted to engage the projections on the container, the lower engaging surface of the container projections being substantially parallel to the inclined bevelled surface at the inner mouth of the container, whereby the cap lugs and inclined zones cooperate to minimize the unbalanced sealing forces exerted upon the projections and the `portions adjacent to the mouth of the container.

6. A sealed package comprising the combination of a container, having a plurality of inclined projections spaced endwise with respect to each other and being in substantially the same horizontal plane, said container having an annular bevelled zone at the inner side of the rim thereof, a closure cap having a cover portion and a de- Cap.

7.- A sealed package oo rnrrirising the ,combination ofV a container having thread projections thereon, sheet nietal closure cap having a cover portion and a depending skirtpthelower edge ofsaid closure cap being rolled outwardly into a bead,` screw llugs separated al substantial distance from each otr er formed from said bead to engage the projectionson the container to seal the cap upon the container, the l. cover portion of said caphaving an inclined annular surface v adapted to engage the inner side of the rirn of the container toycounteract the unbalanced forces created by the lugs of the cap in'sealing the cap on a f container. Y

8. lIn'a sealed package-,the combination of a container having projections thereon for engage nient with the closure cap, the lower sides oi said projections being at an angle or substantiallyic" to the Vertical axis or" the container,`theinner 'rirn of said container having anannular bev'elled Zone likewise at an angle of substantially 86 vto the vertical axis of the container, a'closnre cap hav'- ing a cover por-tion and a depending skirt, the lower edge oi the vskirt of the cap being rolled outwardly into a'bead, a plurality 'of lugs formed from said bead and separated a substantial distancey `from each other, said cover portion of the cap having an annular Vbeveiled siirf ce inclined .about lO'tov-the cover portion adapted to Ycoop-k erateywith the-'annular bevelled ysurface of the container, the upper inner' surface of the lugs of said cap being substantially parallel to said annular inclined surface 'in the cover portion` whereby the parallel 'surfaces of said cap and said iti containercoperate to minimize the unbalanced sealing forces and to preventr breakage at the upper end ofthe container.

9. A containerhaving alsubstantiallyhorizon-L` tal sealing surface at the rirn thereof; an annular bevelled surface at the inner edgeoffsaid-first a series o`f` compressive'forces ys'u'bstanti'ally per#k pendicular to said parallel surfaces; whereby vertical shearing forces are substantially eliminated toprevent breakage of the lug or container.

10. A `screw closure cap cornprising'a vcover portion and a depending skirt having a bead at the lowerY edge of the skirt, lugs in said bead for engaging suitable inclined spaced projections ony a container, and an annular inclined zone in said cover portion extending inwardly and downwardly over-the inner side of the rim 'of the container to cooperate with said lugs'to minimize unbal'` anced scaling strains upon the projections of the container when the cap is screwed lon a container.

j l1. A screw closure cap comprising a cover portion and a depending skirthaving a bead at the lower edge of said skirt,"lugs formed-from said bead inthe lower edge of said skirtfor engaging suitable spaced projection'son a container, a liner in said cap, and an annulargroove in the Acover portion of said skirt having its outer inclinedv portion adapted to press against the inner side of the rim of the container through the inter jj;

mediation ci s aid liner and cooperate with said lugs to minimize unbalanced sealing strains upon the projections of the container when the capis screwed onto thel container.

LOUIS A. VON TILT.; 

